Key Largo - Looking for Seasoned diver thoughts

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I stayed at the Key West Inn earlier this month (it was my 3rd or 4th time staying there). The hotel has a small pool. I think the hotel used to be an apartment complex, the rooms have a kitchen, living room and 3/4 bathroom downstairs and a full bathroom and bedroom upstairs: sort of like a townhouse.

By Keys standards, it's a decent hotel, but it still isn't all that great. I spend almost no time in a hotel while in the Keys so it doesn't need to be very nice. If I had non-diving family member who planned to hang around a hotel, I'd probably go to the Courtyard on the other side of the RR shop. The Courtyard is pretty bad for a Marriott branded hotel but is still super nice by normal Keys hotel standards. You sort of get what you pay for with the Key West Inn, a really big hotel room that I'd in a really great location but it's a bit worn down and a bit ratty.

Oh yeah, it does hsve nice balconies off each room where you can eat breakfast or dinner and watch activity on the canal: I really enjoyed that amenity. It's also a good place to dry your gear.

You can walk to the RR dive shop.

I'm giving the hotel a bit of a mixed review but I'm sure I'll stay there again since it is cheap (with RR'S discount) and convenient and has a comfortable enough bed with nice views on the canal
 
Actually that is not a bad review. We don't need a big pool or anything fancy. We are diving every morning and for the afternoons we would just like some peace where we can read our Kindles, hop in the water if we get too hot, and basically chill and relax. We might do one afternoon of diving depending on how much extra we spend when we get there. But neither of us has had a relaxing dive vacation since August '16 so we are looking forward to this. This tread has been excellent. Because I am anal retentive, I have captured everyones comments on restaurants as well as their URL's and Trip Advisor comments and loaded them into a database. Yea, I really need a vacation!
 
We have stayed at Key West Inn a few times also. It's a great budget option...just kind of old and tired. With Rainbow Reef's discount and the fact that it's right next door, I think it's a really good option.

If you have any maintenance issues, the staff is generally as helpful as they can be. While there is a pool on site, you should also take some time to walk around the marina - lots of fun things to see and do around there.

Have a great trip :)
 
Great thread. Thank you to all of the contributors. I'd add one small recommendation. If anybody gets a craving for Cuban food, The Juice House is my favorite. It's north of the Diver's Direct store and on the west side in a small retail strip. Look for the yellow awning. The food is much better IMO than Denny's (Cuban restaurant across street from Diver's Direct.) and the prices are much better. I could eat there every day I'm in town... And pretty much do. Lol
 
Another question - we are staying at Key West Inn. I like the idea of a kitchen so we can save a few bucks (and give those bucks to RR :) ). Anyone with experience staying at Key West Inn - do they have a pool? Anything else we need to know?

Stayed there many a time. As previously noted furnishings are outdated (i.e old). That said I love the full size fridge, kitchen range and oven. I bring my own high-end fry pan, spatula, and seasonings (salt, pepper, flour, etc.) and have a menu planned out breforehand. Kitchen pots and pans, dishes and many utensils are furnished but I bring a sharp cutting knife and cutting board. The pool is small. There is a shaded area behind the parking area / canal where I prefer to hang and cool off. I don't recall there being much shade by the pool. Bring a couple of laundry detergent "pods' as the have a washer/dryer. The is a supermarket in Key Largo where you can stock up on essentials (bottled water, beer, etc.).
 
Just want to thank everyone - I've been wanting to visit Key Largo for a while, and this thread came along at just the right time. I just booked for 5 days with Rainbow Reef/Key West Inn at the end of the month. Looking forward to some warm water and vis of more than 10 feet :)
 
Looks like the timing of this thread was very fortuitous for you!

The weather seems to be improving and the water warming. Have a great time :) Tell the gang at Rainbow Reef the Cajuns are coming...soon!!!
 
we would just like some peace where we can read our Kindles,
There is a Starbucks across the street if that's your fancy.
 
Have a great time :) Tell the gang at Rainbow Reef the Cajuns are coming...soon!!!
Jest fer you, Diva...


1oardj.jpg
 
And we even share a few commonalities with our friends in Key Largo:

YOU KNOW YOU ARE FROM LOUISIANA WHEN . . .

1. Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.

2. You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads.

3. You save newspapers, not for recycling, but for tablecloths at crawfish boils.

4. When you give directions you use "lakeside and riverside" not north & south.

5. Your ancestors are buried above the ground.

6. You get on a green trolley car to go to the park and a red one to the French Quarter.

7. You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.

8. Every once in a while, you have waterfront property.

9. You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and your host says, "Don't eat the dead ones," and you know what that means.

10. You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

11. You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

12. Little old ladies push YOU out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

13. You leave a parade with footprints on your hands.

14. You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together.

15. And you don't think twice about eating something which has all three of these colors. In fact, you love it.

16. Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.

17. You know what nutria is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.

18. No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.

19. Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.

20. Your house payment is less than your utility bill.

21. You don't show your "pretties" during Mardi Gras.

22. You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.

23. Your grandparents are called "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw."

24. Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.

25. You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.

26. You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.

27. You're walking in the French Quarter with a plastic cup of beer.

28. When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.

29. You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.

30. You decorate your e-mails with purple, green, and gold.

:eyebrow::cheers::happywave:

See y'all soon!

 
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